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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY P. APPLETO'N, OF N OEWICH, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO WILLIAM A. AIKEN, OE SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN REVERSIBLE KNOB-LATCHES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 107,587, dated September 20, 1870.

.To @ZZ whom tm/@ty concern/.-

Beit known that I, HENRY P. APPLETON, of Norwich, in the county of New London and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Reversible Latch- Locks; and I do `hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact descriptionv thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings of the same, which Inake part of this specification, in which- Figure I represents the interior of a' mortise reversible latch-lock embracing my improve- .ments Eig. 2 represents a similar view, the

parts being in the positions they occupy when the latch bolt iswithdrawn for reversion. Fig. 3 represents a section through the latchbolt, the parts corresponding to those shown in Fig. l. Fig. 4 represents a similar sec-v tion, the parts occupying the position shown in Fig. 2.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents the case, B the face-plate, C the bolt, D the reversible latch with its fork or yoke E, E the armed hub, and G the spindle, of a reversible latch-lock. These parts may be constructed and arranged as represented in the drawings, or in any other suitable manner, and, as my improvement relates only to a device in connection with the reversible latch, a further description of these parts is deemed unnecessary. The latch is of that character which requires only-to be withdrawn by the thumb and nger, so as to bring its beveled head without the opening in the faceplate,to reverse its bevel,to adapt it to a right or left hand door, and in doing this it is necessary to remove the spindle from the hub and again insert it after the reversion of the latch. In order that this may bedone quickly and conveniently, the armed hub or cam E is provided with an adjustable or sliding bearing-plate, H, forked so as to embrace the neck a, of the hub, and placed either above or beneath the fork or yoke E of the latch, so that it will bear against said hub and constantly tend, by the pressure of a spring, b, to return the hub after the reversion of the latch, to a position that will bring its opening c directly opposite those in the lock-plates, and, in addition,'keep its arms or cams d in close contact with the raisedends or projections c of the latch-yoke. The return movement of this bearing-plate H is limited byl its contact with a stop, which may be the inner rear side of the lock-case, as shown in Fig. I. The latchyoke E is connected to the case A by a spring, j', which constantly tends to throw out the bolt to its proper place after its withdrawal by the cam or knob; and the sliding bearing H is constantly forced in by its spring b, connected to the lock-plate, and bearing against its front end. The force of this last-named spring b, however, must be greater than that of the latch-spring f, ingorder to keep the bearing-plate properly in place against its stop, and to counteract the tendency of the latch-spring to pull it out. The front end of the sliding bearing-plate is guided by a pin, g, in the lock-case. The withdrawal of the bolt for reversion is therefore effected against the force of the spring b, while the latchspring assists in such withdrawal. The tail or shank h of the latch-bolt D is swiveled in the end of its forked plate, and the latter is held in place by suitable guiding-projections.

The hub is maintained in its proper position and connection with the bearing-plate E by the cover of the lock, and, as its ends do not project into the spindle-openings of the lockplates, it is free to slide with the bearingplate and latch-yoke in withdrawing the latch.

The bearing-plate H may be of any suitable metal or substance capable of being cast, stamped out, or otherwise wrought, and of any form or shape tosuit the varied shapes of different lock-cases.

-In the drawings I have represented my iInA` provement as applied to a mortise-lock 5 but it is obvious that it is equally applicable to a rim-lock and to yoke latch-plates having varied constructions.

. W'hen the bearing-plate is placed above the In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

l HENRY P. APPLETON.

.Vitnesses:

H. I?. FAIRFIELD, GEO. D. LEwIs. 

